Local doctor's medical device gets quick FDA approval

Dr. Robert Perry, a resident at OU Medical Center, has invented a medical device so practical that federal regulators approved it in just 17 days.

The FDA has approved Dr. Robert Perry’s EZ Vein device, which is designed to ease the job of inserting an intravenous catheter. PHOTO PROVIDED

“It was kind of a surprise,” Perry said. “I wasn't anticipating getting anything back until January, and I got it in October.”

The Food and Drug Administration quickly approved his EZ Vein device, which is designed to ease the sometimes tricky job of inserting an intravenous catheter. The noninvasive device includes an inflation cuff that goes over the arm to redirect blood from deep tissue to the target vein near the skin's surface to make more visible and accessible to a needle, he said.

“It works even if you don't have a pulse,” Perry said. Traditional tourniquets aren't effective if the patient has no pulse, he said.

Perry has discussed his creation with health care providers and emergency responders.

“Everyone's been very positive about the device,” he said.

The EZ Vein device is not Perry's first creation. It's just the first to get to the production stage.

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Business Editor Don Mecoy has covered business news for more than a decade after earlier working on The Oklahoman's city, state and metro news desks, including a stint as city editor. He has won state and regional journalism awards for business,...